This is a letter written by a young Black Pastor in Rhodesia, just before he was Martyred by communist soldiers in the war takeover there:
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"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted vision, world talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions,plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by His patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, or lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the enemy, ponder at it's pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won't give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stoved up, prayed up, payed up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me..... My banner will be clear."
~A Martyr For Christ ~
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A question for believers:
ReplyDeleteIs martyrdom a good thing, for anyone involved, for any reason?
That is, is losing one's life solely because of one's faith a blessing for the martyr, or the faith community it inspires? In the Xian worldview, is the blessing propagated to the afterlife, or merely in the remembrance of the person?
Is it greater (Jn 15:13) to lay down one's life for their friends, or be a martyr for one's own faith? Were Jesus' words relegated solely to those who gave their own life as martyrs for their friends, or is it exegetically superfluous to add that to the statement?
If martyrdom for one's faith is a sign of fidelity to one's concept of God, is the same logic (as supplied by the believer to answer the questions above) applicable for all religions? For instance, the 9/11 terrorists certainly had strong faith and demonstrated zeal. Is it reasonable to conclude, as Paul did, that God may "pour out" the physical life as much as Jesus asks followers to relinquish their full lives to himself? Given the request of Jesus for followers to forsake all worldly attachments to follow after himself, is martyrdom a logical extension of this same theme, or a different "calling" entirely? That is, is God calling them to death, or is God calling them to perform a task which incidentally causes that death? Obviously, God could perform that task while protecting the believer.
How does one know when they are called to a ministry that will likely result in death, but knows they are called regardless (as Paul supposedly did)?
I suggest this resource for the believer to ponder matrydom's role today.
I'm not suggesting the Pastor did not write this in his letter, but it I just wanted to point out that it isn't original. It is virtually identical to something written by Dr. Bob Moorehead. It can be found all over the internet.
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